PATRICK ALMAGUER

FREELANCE COPYWRITER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

USA

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO COME ON REMOTE YEAR?

Because I love to travel and now I can work and travel.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON FOR THE YEAR?

I'm working for a variety of advertising agencies as freelance. I’m also working on personal creative projects. I’m shooting 1 short film in every country I visit during remote year and at the end I’ll have 12 short films.

WHERE HAVE YOU LIVED/TRAVELED TO PREVIOUSLY?

I’ve lived and worked in two different continents as an expat in Amsterdam and Sao Paulo both for a year and a half each. And I’ve traveled to 40+ countries so far.

HOW DID YOU FIND YOURSELF A REMOTE ROLE?

I've been working in advertising for 12 years. Last year I went freelance and had a couple remote gigs in the process. Which gave me the confidence to pull this off during remote year.

DESCRIBE YOUR REMOTE YEAR EXPERIENCE IN 3 WORDS.

Adventure. Amazing. Grateful.

WHERE DOES YOUR PASSION FOR TRAVEL COME FROM?

My father was in the Navy so we traveled a lot as a kid. My second professional job was in Amsterdam and that's where I caught the travel bug and just wanted to travel all the time.

WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE?

I don’t use the co-working space that remote year provides unless I’m printing out things I need. I mainly go to coffee shops around the city and do work. So nothing has changed in my process of working except when I get off work and I’m in a totally different country.

HOW DO YOU THINK TRAVELLING WILL AFFECT YOUR CURRENT WORK?

As a writer, traveling gives you inspiration that you may not be aware of. So the more you travel the more you’ll have different ideas and angles to approach things that you wouldn’t have had before.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT?

Creativity. And when you travel you get to see how different cultures use it through their eyes whether it’s art, food, architecture, etc.

DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.

I’d wake up and feed my pet Hawk named Terrance. I would tell Terrance to go pick me up some fresh salmon from the river. He’d swoop back and we’d both go sashimi all over that salmon. Then Terrance and I would probably ride a scooter into town to chill at a cafe. We’d sit in the cafe and make up stories about strangers passing by. A couple friends would join us and convince us to all dress up as Samurai warriors and spend the day chopping watermelons and fruits with swords. After that we’d create some alcoholic drinks out of the fruit and watch the sunset on top of a big rock. I’d be doing a watermelon vodka drink, no little umbrella though because I let a field mouse borrow it because he was taking his boo to eat cheese and crap and thought his lady would think it’s sheik and shit to have a sun umbrella. Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good day.

YOUR FAVORITE DIGITAL NOMAD HACK?

Google maps works when your phone doesn’t have data. So just find the places you want to go when you have wifi or data and star the places on your map and you’ll be set.

WHO DO YOU HOPE TO BE BY THE END OF REMOTE YEAR?

I don't know. And that is what is amazing about it. I'm going to let it reveal itself to me because I have a feeling it's nothing I'm expecting.

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BEING A DIGITAL NOMAD?

Good internet.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF BEING A DIGITAL NOMAD?

You get to travel the world as you work. Is there anything else?

WHAT BOOK SHOULD EVERYONE READ?

Catcher in the Rye.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHERS LOOKING TO BRING TRAVEL INTO THEIR LIVES?

Just do it. Take action. Stop talking and do two trips a year. Make it a priority.

3 THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT ON THE ROAD?

Laptop: I got a tiny 13’ Macbook air. It weighs nothing and when I work on planes, buses, and trains it is perfect. Other people can’t work because their laptops are to big. Originally when I got it I was like damn I don’t like this small piece of crap. Now I love this small piece of crap. Go small.

Phone: I know this is a capt obvious thing but I think you should get the latest model phone before you leave, I got the latest iphone. Because you want this thing to work as fast as it can. You use your phone for everything. Pictures. Google maps. Email. Everyday Apps. Travel Apps, etc.

Two Cards: Capital One Venture Card which has no international foreign transaction fees and racks up travel points. For a debit card I got Charles Schwab because it doesn’t charge any fee for ATM withdrawals anywhere.

IF YOU HAD TO BE STUCK ON AN ISLAND WITH ANOTHER REMOTE, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

Joao. Because we’ve become great friends on this trip and always have something interesting or fun to talk about. Also he’s one of my main actors in my short films I’m creating in every country. So we’d probably make up stupid stories and shoot them as short films.

WHAT IS YOUR SECRET TALENT?

I don’t know if I would call it a talent or a serious issue. I sing all the time. And I can create a song about anything. Usually it’s really stupid things.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON THE GLOBE?

Asia. Probably because I hadn’t been here before Remote Year so it’s got that new vibe thing going on.